According to the video posted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics within their article "Careers for People Who Are Creative," Graphic Designers are the second most in-demand careers for all creative occupations. Notice the distinction is within the creative occupations; this is not to be confused with overall occupations or careers as outlined above in the most populated degree section. Creative careers are numerous and reach well beyond the traditional studio arts. It is also important to note that several creative careers are embedded within other industries. For instance, every large company has a creative department that usually employs designers, multimedia artists, web developers, photographers, copyrighters, and more.
Despite college major career predictions, The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists three of the four top-paying careers for artists earning well over $40,000 per year. The highest-earning artist profession, Art Directors, also lists the highest employment number for artists with over 90,000 people earning over $92,000 as a median salary. Over 73,000 employed Multimedia artists earn over $70,000 median per year. Not to mention, Fine artists who work in traditional art mediums earn a median salary of over $49,000 per year.
This data is essential because, as mentioned previously, colleges are informing students that studio art majors have one of the lowest salaries and can only expect to earn $40,000 for the rest of their lives in their chosen career field. The actual figures certainly shine a new light on the "starving artist" myth. According to the actual national Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers, contemporary artists are not starving at all. Contemporary artists are working in stable careers and earning livable salaries, which makes them successful by any definition.
